World Status Report

This report intends to give the UTD Community a snapshot of international risks, and other issues as reported by the linked official sources from the U.S. and other countries.

Please note the publication date of this report, and go to the direct sources linked for the most up-to-date information.  The information in this report may change without prior notice.

Security

South Africa will deploy soldiers to quell violence that erupted in the wake of former president Jacob Zuma’s jailing, the military said on Monday, after days of riots and looting left at least six people dead (Reuters). Thousands of Cubans have joined the biggest protests for decades against the island’s Communist government (BBC). A large explosion in Somalia’s capital killed at least nine people and injured eight others, a health official said Saturday (AP). Turkmenistan is deploying troops and heavy weapons on border with Afghanistan. Tajikistan is also tightening its border security with Afghanistan after security deteriorated in the northern provinces of the war-battered country (Khaama). Gangs in Haiti have long been financed by powerful politicians and their allies — and many Haitians fear those backers may be losing control of the increasingly powerful armed groups who have driven thousands of people from their homes (AP). Venezuelan officials say 22 suspected gang members and four police officers have died in two days of clashes in the capital Caracas (BBC).

Natural Disasters

Heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms have been affecting Mindanao Island, Philippines, south-western Japan, south-western Chad, and most parts of Nepal causing floods and landslides that have resulted in casualties, evacuations, and damage. An earthquake of 5.8 M at a depth of 17 km occurred on 10 July at 2.14 UTC (7.14 local time) in the Tojikobod District (eastern-central Tajikistan) resulting in casualties and damage (ERCC). More than three hundred thousand acres of land in six western US states were on fire Sunday during a heat wave (USA Today).

Health

In Réunion, France has reported 27 213 confirmed dengue cases for 2021, including 1 250 confirmed cases in week 24 and 806 cases in week 25, with the whole territory affected (ECDC).

COVID-19

International preventative measures against COVID-19, including entry restrictions and in-country mobility remain fluid, and can be imposed without prior notice. Details for each country can be found in the travel advisories issued by the governments of the United States, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia.  The UNWTO and IATA Destination Tracker offers relevant information on a destination status. The Timeline of EU Member States Reopening Their Borders  offers a list of opened EU countries for travelers, and dates of warned opening.

As notable cases: Malta will ban visitors over the age of 12 from entering the country starting Wednesday unless they are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, the first country in the European Union to impose such restrictions (NYT). Peru extends COVID state of emergency until end of August (Al Jazeera). South Africa extends tight COVID-19 restrictions for another 14 days (Reuters). In the final communiqué of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors’ meeting in Venice, Italy, the monetary policy leaders expressed concerns about how the Delta variant has overtaken nations like Brazil and South Africa and potentially threatens the global economic recovery (DW).

Global cases and deaths. As of 12 July, Johns Hopkins University counts 186,944,168 COVID-19 cases and 4,034,317 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 186,411,011 cases and 4,031,725 deaths.

As notable cases: As the Delta variant rapidly spreads, in the United States hotspots have seen climbing cases and an expert warns a “surprising amount” of Covid-19 deaths could soon follow (CNN). Spain is again among EU countries with the highest coronavirus infection rates (ElPais). Russia reports record high daily COVID-19 deaths, over 25,000 new cases (Reuters). Australia‘s New South Wales state reported its biggest daily rise in locally acquired coronavirus infections this year on Saturday, with authorities warning that worse may yet to come for Sydney, which is in a three-week hard lockdown (Reuters). “In the last 24 hours, close to 500,000 new cases have been reported and about 9,300 deaths — now that’s not a pandemic that’s slowing down,” said the WHO’s Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan (NDTV). Analysis by Reuters indicates Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Russia have reported the most new infections and deaths in average each day in the past 7 days (Reuters). Mexico is entering its third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, as infections rose by 29% compared to the previous week. But the country’s health department said Friday the growth is largely coming from infections among younger, less vulnerable people (AP).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 11 July, Our World in Data reports 25.3% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 3.44 billion doses have been administered globally, and 29.58 million are now administered each day. Only 1% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports over 3.07 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases: Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said on Sunday that she was concerned that coronavirus variants could derail the global economic recovery and called for an urgent push to vaccinate more people around the world (NYT). BioNTech on Monday announced a deal to provide 10 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine to Taiwan, easing a serious shortage (NYT). Thailand said on Monday that health care workers who had received the coronavirus vaccine made by Sinovac of China would also be inoculated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech shots (NYT). Thousands of Iranians  are flocking by air and land to neighboring Armenia to be vaccinated against Covid-19 (NYT). In world first, Israel approves COVID booster shots to immunocompromised. Health Ministry signs off on move amid rising morbidity due to spread of Delta variant (TimesofIsrael).

Please note the publication date of this report and go to the direct sources linked for the most up-to-date information.  The information in this report may change without prior notice.